Undercarriage Washer Attachment!!!

Yes indeed, I'll be putting my American WaterBroom Undercarriage Wand to good use on the Tahoe this afternoon :D



Still gotta crawl under there and actually *clean* everything with brushes, swabs, sponges and mitts.... and then dress/QD it after the rest of the wash is done, but the wand is good for a quick first pass and for the initial rinsing-off of the APC/etc. that I use under there.



And yeah, I run hot/warm water through mine, and use warm water for the rest of the wash. Gotta big enough hot-water tank that I seldom run out.
 
Spring in here. Is your undercarriage clean??? :think2 Here's a video (care of Classic Appreciation) of the undercarriage attachment in action:



 
UndercarriageSpray_zps1c8e90f6.jpg



High Pressure Under body Lance



Angled spray lance connected to a power washer, this set-up is specifically designed to clean those hard to reach areas under the wheel arches and the under carriage.Inlet Connection: 1/4 - inch female QC Plug - Max Pressure: 4,000 PSI - Max Flow: 3.5 to 6.0 GPM



Methodology



a) Undercarriage cleaning- thoroughly spray an undiluted citrus cleaner (P2IS Total Auto Wash) and let it soak in; remove by thoroughly rinsing with water. Fill pressure washer tank with citrus cleaner and spray undercarriage (do not use excess pressure as water may penetrate crevices and seams where it cannot drain, causing corrosion), let it soak and then remove with plain water.



b) Undercarriage Salt Removal - spray undercarriage with ValuGuard Proguard Magnesium Chloride Remover - VG-502 - An alkaline (pH 12) liquid concentrate, a blend of detergents that penetrates and disperses road and salt film, which after rinsing leaves the surface charged to repel dirt and soil. Low foam for better penetration into seams where Magnesium Chloride is difficult to remove



Cleans Magnesium Chloride residue from all surfaces and will help brighten aluminum surfaces without etching and also works well to remove bugs, tar, and asphalt. Designed to be applied by brush, moderate or high pressure spray, and can also be used in steam cleaning applications. Product is completely biodegradable





Do not allow to dry on vehicle. For cleaning tough areas like wheel wells, chassis, and very soiled wheels apply VG-502 at 1-1 mix to wet surface, allow to set for 3-5 minutes, Agitate as needed and then rinse with moderate to high-pressure water spray for a clean surface. Dry all painted and glass surfaces after rinsing to prevent water spotting.







Undercarrage_zps7d660ab1.jpg
 
Regulars here can guess how my undercarriages have been all winter long ;) Same ol' same ol', the first and last hours of every wash....



Note that, after cleaning, if you treat all these undercarriage/well areas with at least something like Fast Finish, it makes for much easier cleanup next time (besides making everything look nice). Only takes a little more effort while you're under there drying things off.



And, heh heh...during the nice-weather months, reach underneath with a white cloth and see just how dirty the undercarriage gets all year round. As I said...*every* wash.
 
SweatTheDetails said:
Am I the only person using a yard sprinkler for this?
Click to expand...



It's been suggested a few times, but I'd put sprinklers in the "merely better than nothing" category. Limited pressure and volume, incomplete coverage..I bet it's quite convenient though, easy enough to do that it does in fact get done and that *is* a plus (so I guess I shouldn't be too harsh on the idea, huh?).
 
Still using my wand from American WaterBroom, still getting under there with APC and  brushes/etc. every time I wash.  I've ramped up the whole thing on some of the vehicles, doing a final wipedown with something like Fast Finish.  I don't bother getting serious (e.g., stuff like Garry's Beyond Infinity Sealant) about my undercarriages until the warmer months as I figure the APC would just wash it off anyhow.
 
Built this last winter for a few bucks -- does a good job with just normal water pressure--cross piece is removable for easy storage:

tn_UnerCarWasher005.jpg


tn_UnerCarWasher003.jpg


tn_UnerCarWasher010.jpg


tn_UnerCarWasher009.jpg


tn_UnerCarWasher008.jpg
 
pwaug said:
Built this last winter for a few bucks -- does a good job with just normal water pressure--cross piece is removable for easy storage:
Click to expand...

I'm thinking of doing something similar, I'm thinking about some shoulder bolts in the end caps for some cheap plastic wheels. Debating some spray nozzles like in the commercial units.
 
Accumulator said:
pwaug- How did you do the spray orifices?
Click to expand...

Just drilled 1/16" holes with plans to add some type of nozzles later on, but as you can see with only 50-55 psi coming from the house water supply the stream is pretty strong. The first time I used it last winter I was amazed at the amount of crud left in the driveway so I may just leave well enough alone.
 
Setec Astronomy said:
I'm thinking of doing something similar, I'm thinking about some shoulder bolts in the end caps for some cheap plastic wheels. Debating some spray nozzles like in the commercial units.
Click to expand...

I also thought about adding wheels, but the unit moves so easily without them I just put pieces of Velcro on the bottom so the plastic doesn't wear.
 
pwaug- I can see doing without the wheels, but I do think you'd be impressed by the diff if you screwed in some nozzles. Heh heh...easy for *me* to spend *your* time and money fixing something that's not broken, huh?!? But seriously, I bet you'd think it was worth it.
 
Accumulator said:
pwaug- I can see doing without the wheels, but I do think you'd be impressed by the diff if you screwed in some nozzles. Heh heh...easy for *me* to spend *your* time and money fixing something that's not broken, huh?!? But seriously, I bet you'd think it was worth it.
Click to expand...

Do you happen to know of a good source for nozzles?
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top